This invention relates to a system for watering plants either indoor or outdoor, and particularly, a system for feeding the root system of plants with reduced water evaporation which adequately waters the plant in a timed-release manner over a desired period of time.
Heretofore, prior systems have been proposed for automatically watering or feeding plants in a timed-release manner which is to sustain the plant for a period of time. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,568,701; 4,578,897; and 2,595,782 all disclose spikes which insert into the soil surrounding the plant roots for dispensing water or other liquid material, and a container is secured to the spikes for feeding the liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,133 discloses a device for feeding liquid to plants which includes a reservoir and an end tip which includes cotton material for dispensing the liquid over several days. U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,880 discloses a plant watering device having spirals to assist in the insertion of the device into the soil, and an inner sleeve having apertures which line up with apertures in the spiral sleeve for metering water. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,542,605; 5,493,811; and 5,172,515 disclose other various watering and irrigation systems for plants of the like.
While the prior art devices have met with some success, problems of accurately metering a liquid in a timed-release matter to sustain a plant over a desired period of time is a problems to which considerable attention need be given. Not only is the metering systems in such relatively inexpensive devices hard to provide in a reliable manner, but the orifice through which the liquid is introduced in the soil often becomes clogged.
Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide an improved plant watering system for indoor and outdoor plants which reliably meters a liquid into the soil near the roots of the plant in an accurate and reliable manner for sustaining the plant over a desired period of time.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide a plant watering system which includes a spike for insertion into the soil which forms a dispensing pocket generally devoid of soil for the reliable dispensing of water and, which reduces the tendency of the water dispensing orifice to clog.
Another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved watering system for plants and the like wherein liquid is dispensed over a time period in a highly reliable manner through a flow reduction and metering reservoir.